A garden with a foundation like heaven,
A stairway where sun and moon stroll hand in hand,
A gate which like a copper drum has been covered with skin.
Blessed of Marduk has opened it, Ishtar's Gift comes out of it.

 
HarperCollins paperback
(out of print) 
 

 Kindle ebook
£1-99 from amazon.co.uk
$2-99 from amazon.com

 
When Tiamat finds an old cylinder-seal in the hanging gardens marked with strange symbols, she and her friend Simeon set out to solve the riddle it contains. Following clues on the seal, they discover wingless dragons guarding the great walls of Babylon, and after one of the creatures licks her hand Tiamat's luck starts to change. Soon she is winning every game at Twenty Squares Club and the gamesmaster wants her to play in the national championships. But Tiamat's magical gift does more than help her win at Twenty Squares. As she sets out to help the dragons, she and her friends from the Club are drawn into a Persian plot to invade their city.

The history of Babylon is not often taught in schools, which I think is a shame. This fabulous city was the capital of Alexander the Great's empire and an important centre of learning and trade in the ancient world. It is also mentioned in the Bible, where it is famous for the Writing on the Wall. With its blue and gold bricks and legendary hanging gardens, Babylon makes an exotic background for Tiamat's story, which involves an ancient board game called Twenty Squares.

Read an extract HERE

What they said...

¬ "Katherine Roberts is a children's author of genuine skill and imagination, and 'The Babylon Game' is one of her most engaging titles." Publishing News.

¬ "Adventures that twist and turn and will have you spellbound on every page." South Wales Evening Post.

¬ "A compelling mix of myth and magic..." Crosby Herald.

¬ "Fast paced pretty much all the way through and starts the action straight away... Really good." cool-reads.co.uk

¬ "I would definitely recommend this book to all my friends and to people who like ancient stuff." Dylan, young reader.

¬ "The story is very original... I very much enjoyed this book and will definitely be reading the whole series." Zack, age 13.

¬ "An exquisite story... one of those books which you cannot put down." Jasmin, age 14.

¬ "Very exciting and fast moving... I highly recommend this book for ages nine and up."
Karissa, age 14.

ASK THE UNICORN: How did they play Twenty Squares?

Twenty Squares was an ancient board game played on a board with 20 squares... hence the name, though the Babylonians probably had their own name for it. It is sometimes known as the Royal Game of Ur (another ancient city near Babylon). Two players used different coloured counters and threw dice to decide the moves. There were several levels of skill, from a simple race game to championship level where a score was kept.

Nobody is quite sure of the exact rules, but the game is thought to have been a cross between draughts and ludo, with both luck and skill required to win. In this story, Tiamat's magic gift from the dragon gives her incredible "luck" and she amazes everyone by beating all the top players.

You can find out more about Twenty Squares by following these links:

History - and where to buy a game.

Rules - with a demonstration of play.